Page 124

Eve

I felt the heat rush to my face, burning from the inside out. Hades’ smirk deepened as if he could feel the shift in my pulse, and I hated how smug he looked beneath me.

His silver eyes gleamed in the dim light, half-lidded and unrepentant.

I shifted, trying to pull away. "You’re unbelievable."

But the second I moved, my balance wavered. His gaze flicked to my legs, and I realized too late that my knee was too close to slipping.

Damn it.

I tried to catch myself, but the blind panic of stumbling on top of him only made it worse. My palm braced against his chest—broad and infuriatingly solid—and for half a second, I was completely at his mercy.

Before I could push away, I felt the faintest snap.

The handcuffs dangled uselessly from his wrists, broken apart like they were made of twine.

His hands shot up, gripping my hips firmly. "Careful, Red. Wouldn’t want you to fall."

The contact jolted through me like electricity, and I froze, suddenly too aware of the way his fingers pressed into my ass, steadying me with just enough pressure to keep me locked in place.

I stiffened. "Hades—"

"Relax." His voice dropped an octave, low and rough. His thumbs brushed along the curve of my waist in slow, deliberate circles. "You’re shaking."

I was shaking, but it wasn’t from fear. And that irritated me more than anything else.

"You’re enjoying this," I accused, pushing against his chest, but he didn’t let go.

"Of course I am." His grip didn’t falter, not even when I glared down at him. "You’re the one straddling me. I’m just being a good sport about it."

I leaned in, narrowing my eyes. "Yeah right and the tower of Giza is not leaning."

His gaze flicked to my eyes, lingering just a second too long. "Your pupils are dilated."

I stiffened. "So what?"

His hands shot up higher, his grip tightening. His thumbs brushed lazy circles against my waist as he pinned me with that unreadable stare. "Are you excited that you won…" His voice dipped lower, smooth as silk. "Or because—"

"I won the first challenge!" I blurted, cutting him off before he could finish that sentence. No way was I letting him get the satisfaction of drawing this out any longer.

He arched a brow, but I jumped off him before he could stop me.

"I won!" I practically bounced on my toes, shoving aside whatever the hell that moment was. "I get to punish you."

Hades actually looked… startled. His gaze shuttered and I caught the faintest crease of confusion.

Then, slowly, his expression shifted into a smirk. "Punish me, huh?" He sat up, cuffs clattering to the mat beside him. "I am sure you had something truly wicked, something that you believe will be a challenge to---"

"You will wear a unicorn onesie to bed for a week," I blurted.

Hades froze.

For the first time since I met him, the Hand of Death—the fearsome king, the man who could make Gammas tremble with just a glance—stared at me in complete and utter horror.

His silver eyes blinked once. Slowly.

"You want me to… what?"

I crossed my arms, barely able to suppress the grin stretching across my face. "Oh, you heard me."

He tilted his head, as if trying to process whether I’d suffered a head injury mid-fight. "A unicorn onesie," he repeated, his tone flat.

"To bed. For a week." I lifted a finger to emphasize. "Every. Single. Night."

Hades’ mouth opened slightly, then closed. For once, words seemed to fail him. His brows furrowed, as if the sheer absurdity of the punishment defied all logic.

"You think this is punishment?" His voice was strained, like he was still grappling with reality. "I expected…" He ran a hand through his hair, looking almost disoriented. "Anything but that."

I couldn’t help it—I burst into laughter, doubling over as the image filled my head.

Hades scowled, glaring at me like I’d just kicked him in the pride. "Is this amusing to you, Red?"

"More than you know," I wheezed, wiping tears from the corners of my eyes. "Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but your face right now? Priceless."

He looked at me like I’d summoned an ancient evil. "I thought you’d want me to run laps until I dropped or spar blindfolded for days—not parade around like some… pastel abomination."

"Exactly!" I jabbed a finger at him. "You’re terrifying, Hades. I’m just leveling the playing field." I made air quotes with my fingers.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, but I could see the his eyes twitch—the faintest betrayal of exactly how affected he was by this being the punishment that I had chosen for him.

"You think a unicorn onesie will strip me of my reputation?"

I grinned. "No, but I think watching you try to act intimidating while wearing one will be the best entertainment I’ve had all year."

Hades exhaled sharply, shaking his head, clenching his hands in his side . "You’re enjoying this too much."

"Oh, you have no idea," I said, still riding the high of victory. "And I’m picking it out personally. With a tail and everything."

Hades let out a slow, resigned breath, glaring up at the ceiling like he was questioning every life choice that had brought him to this moment. "Seven nights."

"Yup."

"In a unicorn onesie."

"With glittery stars," I added, practically bouncing on my heels. "Don’t forget the horn."

His gaze dropped back to mine, and he leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting. "You realize this means war, right?"

I leaned in just as close, meeting his stare head-on. "Bring it."

For a moment, we held eye contact—him, visibly contemplating his life choices, and me, delighting in his rare state of defeat.

Then he rose to his feet, towering over me once more, but the intimidation factor was long gone.

"I’ll wear the damn onesie," he muttered, cracking his neck. "But don’t think this is over, Red."

I smirked. "Oh, I’m counting on it."

As he stalked off the mat, I swore I heard him mumble something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "unbelievable."

But I didn’t care.

Because by nightfall, the mighty Hand of Death would be sleeping soundly in a pink unicorn onesie, and I would never let him live it down.